Association Pushes for Home Monitoring

The American Heart Association (AHA)
is encouraging more home monitoring of
blood pressure. The recommendation is
part of AHA's revised guidelines, which had
not been updated since 1993. Thomas G.
Pickering, MD, believed the update was
necessary because it has become clear
that traditional office measurement is
enhanced "by having patients record their
blood pressure at home." Authors of the
guidelines noted that home monitoring is
an easy way to measure blood pressure
over long periods of time. There is also
some evidence that it may encourage individuals
to maintain better blood pressure
control by adhering to their medications.

Home monitoring may be helpful for
individuals whose blood pressure rises as
soon as they are in their physician's office,
known as "white-coat hypertension." Another
benefit of home monitoring is that it
may be useful for individuals with masked
hypertension. This is a condition where
blood pressure is normal in the physician's
office, but high in daily life.

In order to ensure that the device is
operating properly and the patients are
using it correctly, Dr. Pickering recommends
that patients bring their monitor to
their physician's office.